Part of the demand for gunsmithing is “old gunsmiths are retiring and, it turns out, during wartime, there is a demand for experts who can efficiently and deftly craft weapons.” In fact, Murray State reports that about 90% of gunsmith students have found jobs after graduation.
In 2007, the demand for gunsmiths was high: “Remington called the other day, and they need 30 people to hire.” Today, there is still a large demand: Lassen Community College instructor John Martin says “There’s a huge demand for these skills. I usually see more jobs available than I have graduating students.”
Don Stallman of Trinidad State Junior College makes a mandrel tool on a metal lathe.
The demand for jobs is not only high; so is the demand for gunsmith training.
- According to Outdoor Life, the Pittsburgh Gunsmith School in Pennsylvania “has a two-year waiting list of potential students, a third of whom are veterans.”
- Murry State University in Oklahoma “draws 10 times the applicants the program can accommodate” from all over the world including Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, India, and South Africa. In fact, one student traveled from Ottawa, Canada, to Oklahoma for 3 years to earn his degree in gunsmithing.
- Yavapai College reported in 2006 it and all of the 4 other gunsmithing schools could not accomodate the demand for slots in the classroom. Their gunsmithing academic report stated “It is not uncommon for good students to have jobs lined up 6 months before graduation….The demand is much greater than we or all 5 schools combined can provide. This semester our program was unable to fill 12 requests for gunsmiths. Inquiries originate throughout the nation.”